Do These Devices Actually Prevent Migraines?

These Devices Claim To Cure Migraines — But Do They Work?

When you're in the midst of a migraine, all you want is an off switch that will take away the crippling pain, nausea, and visual psychedelics. Such a device sounds absolutely too good to be true, but there's a new and promising technology called neuromodulation that might actually prevent and treat migraine pain with the push of a button.

How does this sorcery work? It's complicated, because doctors don't know exactly what causes migraines in the first place. One possible explanation is that migraines are the result of a wave of activity in different parts of your brain. So, what a neuromodulation device or stimulator could do is "turn down" your brain activity, and hopefully stop or prevent migraines and the accompanying symptoms. In other words, it's kind of like that mythical "off" switch for your migraine. You can use the device when you get one to stop the pain, or as a daily preventative treatment.

Even though it seems freaky to think about electricity going into your brain, it doesn't hurt to wear the devices, and it can "feel similar to a massage chair pulsation," according to Lauren Doyle Strauss, DO, assistant professor in the department of neurology at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. "Many patients use it at night and find it relaxing before sleep," she says. If you've ever heard of or used a TENS unit during physical therapy, neuromodulation is very similar, and involves some of the same mechanisms, Dr. Strauss says.

Do they really work?

At the moment, the FDA has only approved three devices for migraines: Cefaly, SpringTMS, and gammaCore in America. In studies, people who used Cefaly had 50% fewer headache days per month, which is a pretty big deal. And just two pulses of the magnet in SpringTMS was enough to stop a migraine with an aura in around 40% of patients. GammaCore, on the other hand, is designed to treat cluster headaches, though it may be helpful for treating migraines, too. One person who reviewed Cefaly online said that it helped to prevent attacks, and another SpringTMS user called it a "breakthrough." But everyone's brains and migraines are different, so it's tough to say whether or not they'd work on everyone.

Who knows if neuromodulation devices will actually become a thing that most people turn to for their migraines? But the good news is that they exist, and they may provide the relief people are desperately seeking in the middle of a migraine.